Many students who are struggling in English have a difficult time reading. Beginning or ESL students may have difficulty in sounding out the words, while more advanced students may have trouble understanding the story. Begin by determine the level of your student and work up from there. Reading aloud together can help a struggling reader gain confidence. It also gives the tutor the opportunity to point out areas in the text that are important. Conducting a small comprehension test at the end of each reading session can also help to improve comprehension skills.
Many students have a difficult time writing papers. Some students struggle with basic grammar and punctuation, while others struggle with the structure of the paper, including organization and focus. Some students may also not know the basic steps to creating a research paper. As a tutor it is important to begin by looking at samples of the student's writing to assess his level and then work on improving the skills from there. Familiarize yourself with the expectations for each grade level and state curriculum so you can help the student achieve or surpass the proficiency expected of him. Often it helps to take a student through each step of writing for a specific type of paper. As the student improves you can focus more on helping him proofread and edit his final drafts.
Some students may need help building their vocabulary. If you are working with a non-native English speaker, it may be beneficial to work on conversational English with him. In addition to reviewing specific rules of English and vocabulary words, have at least one 10- to 15-minute conversation on a variety of topics each session. Students who are working on building their vocabulary for test preparation purposes can benefit from recognizing the root meanings of words as well as prefixes and suffixes. Additionally, spending time drilling the words is good practice for the student.